Nuno Borges vs Rafael Nadal Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Bastad Open

Prediction published on 20/07/2024, 14:04  by Kennedy Kechula | Modified on 20/07/2024 at 14:07 in Tennis Predictions

This year’s Swedish Open final will be contested by seventh seed Nuno Borges and wildcard Rafa Nadal. These two are meeting for the first time in their careers and we will analyze the match then finish with a prediction.

Nadal is playing in his 131st tour championship match while Borges is in his maiden tour final. Borges defeated the unseeded Thiago Agustin Tirante in the semi-finals in straight sets, losing seven games in the contest.

The Portuguese number one is making his Bastad debut having arrived on a five-match losing streak. He has turned it around and has won four in a row. He is now placed 45th in the live ranking after moving up six places. Borges is a strong clay player and has this season won 12 times in 20 outings on the surface.

Nadal has progressed to his first tour final in two years. The last time the legendary Spaniard played a final was in the 2022 French Open. Nadal has an impeccable record when it comes to championship matches; he has 92 tour titles.

This has him in the top six in the all-time list of most titles won in the Open Era. More than 60 of his titles have been on clay with one of those being achieved in Bastad. Nadal won the Swedish Open in 2005, the last time he participated here before this season.

To advance to the final, the 38-year-old, who has compiled an 11-5 record, defeated qualifier Duje Ajdukovic. He won in three sets after coming back from a losing position for the second successive match. Nadal has moved more than 100 places in the live ranking and is now placed 160th.